Revised BPL lists put on hold in Kangra, old ones remain valid

Thousands of families in Kangra district whose names were struck off the revised Below Poverty Line (BPL) lists have received temporary relief after the Directorate of Rural Development put the newly prepared lists on hold. In an office order (No. RDD-4-796-7412) dated February 28, the Directorate has directed that all BPL lists finalised by Block Level Committees (BLCs) will be treated as provisional. These lists will now be submitted to the state government for final approval and will become effective only after receiving clearance.

The issue gained prominence after The Tribune highlighted the plight of affected families in its February 27 edition under the headline “Thousands of families removed from BPL lists in survey in Dehra, Paragpur.” Following the fourth-phase survey, which concluded on February 25, nearly 80 per cent of beneficiaries in Kangra district were reportedly removed from the BPL lists due to stringent eligibility criteria laid down by the state government. The large-scale deletions triggered widespread resentment among underprivileged families.

Notably, the BLCs comprising the SDM, Block Development Officer (BDO) and panchayat inspector had earlier finalised the lists as per previous instructions of the Directorate. Aspirants seeking inclusion in the new BPL list had submitted applications to the panchayat secretary. The Panchayat-level sub-committee, consisting of the panchayat secretary, patwari and an Anganwadi worker, shortlisted eligible families under the revised government guidelines and forwarded the names to the BLCs for final approval.

As per fresh guidelines issued on February 28 to the Deputy Commissioners, District Development Officers and BDOs, the provisional BPL lists will be sent to the state government for final approval. Until such approval is granted, the existing (previous) BPL lists will continue to remain valid and effective. Importantly, BPL certificates will continue to be issued on the basis of the previous lists until the revised lists receive final clearance from the state government.

Vikram Thakur, MLA Jaswan-Paragpur Assembly constituency in Kangra district, who has been flagging concern over drastic downsising of the BPL lists after fourth survey for selecting deserving families said the state government should revise stringent conditions so that deserving and genuine families get place in the revised lists.